


Nuktuk: A Royal Love Story

by sgracestann



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Cannon compliant, M/M, Yes you read that right, i have extensive tumblr posts about this, mover au, soft and a little angsty, wu and mako being CUTE, wuko shrek au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26621095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgracestann/pseuds/sgracestann
Summary: When Bolin invites Mako to the premiere of his new, cheesy mover, Mako is absolutely not expecting to see Wu there. And he's definitely not expecting him and Wu to be the main romantic leads of the movie. It forces him to reevaluate his feelings for Wu and come to terms with the fact that he really does want to kiss the former Earth King.
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 82





	Nuktuk: A Royal Love Story

Mako straightened his collar, looking into the dingy bathroom mirror. The overhead light flickered, to his annoyance, but it didn’t stop him from thoroughly examining his appearance. Gelled eyebrows? Check. Perfectly ruffled hair? Check. The suit he’d bought for more formal appearances with Wu when he was still Prince and waiting to be coronated? Check. He sighed. Mako knew he looked good but he didn’t really want to. He’d rather be on the couch with takeout, working through the case he was currently on. And the suit reminded him so much of Wu. It still had the faint smell of cologne on it, that Wu had sprayed on him the morning before an outing to meet with Earth Kingdom dignitaries. 

_“It’s my favorite scent, Mako. Jasmine and honey. Mmm, now you’ll smell good.”_

The suit hadn’t been worn since. Mako shook his head of the thought and checked his watch. _9:15_. The premiere started at 10, which gave him barely enough time to make it to the theatre. 

Ever since Varrick’s first _Nuktuk_ mover had come out, theatres specifically for movers had popped up all over republic city. Unlike traditional theatres, instead of stages, they all had screens. The audio was prerecorded, and from what Bolin had told him, Mako was pretty sure they had to start it at the exact same time as the projection or it “ruined the mover”.

Bolin was the only reason he was going to this mover. 

_“Mako, you have to come see it. Nuktuk: A Royal Love Story! You’re in it!” Bolin gushed, gesturing widely with his arms. “It’s gonna be so good.”_

_Mako rolled his eyes. “A royal love story? Who’s it about, you and Eska?”_

_Bolin gave him a fiendish grin. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”_

\---

The classy sato-mobile that Bolin had sent for him rolled to a stop in front of the theatre in Republic City’s arts district. The theatre was one of the older buildings, but similar in architecture to the pro-bending arena; pillars and a dome crowded Mako’s eyes. At least until he spotted a green object on the red carpet that spilled across the sidewalk. A green object surrounded by press, talking animatedly, with a grin so big it looked like it hurt. _Wu_. Mako felt his heart rate quicken- Bolin hadn’t said Wu was going to be there. He groaned. He hadn’t seen or talked to Wu since the abdication. Or written. Something that Wu had implored him to do, in the many letters he’d sent. 

He felt a jostle and suddenly Varrick’s arm was around his shoulders.

“What do you think, kid? We had this building repurposed just for this mover. It’s gonna stay a theatre but we wanted a grand opening and a premiere so the event would be more publicized.”

Mako frowned and removed himself from Varrick’s grasp. “It’s alright.” 

Cameras were flashing at him now, and he figured it was because of Varrick, but suddenly he heard a reporter ask, “Bolin, tell us, how did you feel having Kuvira as your villain in this one?”

Looking over his shoulder, Mako saw him. His little brother, usually curly hair flattened down, in a suit, smiling for the crowd. Bolin made eye contact and Mako glared back, jabbing a thumb at Varrick, who had somehow managed to sling his arm around Mako _again_. Bolin was laughing as he responded to the reporter.

“Well, that’s a good question. That’s a creative choice Varrick, the director, made so you’re gonna have to ask him.”

Varrick disappeared from Mako’s side as he sidled over to Bolin and the reporter, easily melting into the conversation. Mako turned toward Wu, who was still posing for photographers and still hadn’t noticed him. After a few moments of deliberation, Mako decided he’d rather face the awkwardness of approaching Wu than the awkwardness of staying where he was, waiting for Bolin, who seemed perpetually busy with reporters at this point.

Arms crossed, Mako walked over to Wu, a little faster than he should’ve. All the lights, and the reporters yelling were a little too much for him, and he hoped talking to Wu would be some solace. At least he _knew_ Wu.

As soon as he was in Wu’s proximity, he heard someone shout, “Look, Prince Wu, your shadow is back! Can you clarify if you two were ever in a relationship?”

Wu’s face morphed into confusion for a split second before he turned to Mako, a smile splitting his face. “Mako!” 

Mako was suddenly enveloped in a warm hug from the man, the scent of vanilla sweeping over him.

“You smell good, Mako,” Wu remarked. “Wearing that cologne I mentioned?”

Mako could’ve died right there. “Uh, no- I mean yes. Since you sprayed it on me, last time I wore this.”

Wu pulled back and winked at him. “Sure, I’ll believe that. Anyway, Mako, tell these reporters what they wanna hear. Were we ever in a relationship?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Mako felt his face go red as Wu looked at him expectantly. There was an edge of vulnerability in his eyes that fueled the warm, uncomfortable feeling in his chest. “I’m not going to dignify that question with a response.”

A couple of reporters booed, but Wu waved them off. “We’ve gotta head in now, but we’ll see you all after _Nuktuk: A Royal Love Story_!” He blew a kiss at the crowd and dragged Mako into the building. 

\---

The lobby area of the theatre was brightly lit, with the celebrity faction of Republic City milling about. Mako thought he saw Korra and Asami in the corner, on a chaise, and would’ve moved to say hello if Wu hadn’t stopped him.

“Why haven’t you written to me Mako? I’ve sent you tooooons of letters and haven’t gotten anything back.”

Mako groaned. Wu _would_ guilt-trip him about the pile of open letters he had on his desk. What Wu didn’t know about was the trash bin full of unsent letters that Mako had been too nervous to send.

“What are you even doing here Wu? Aren’t you some hotshot singer in Ba Sing Se now?”

Wu narrowed his eyes, clearly noting Mako’s evasiveness. He began inspecting his fingernails, a conceited look coming over his face. “Mako, as you know, I’m a talented vocalist.” It took all of Mako’s self-control not to snort at this. “I was enlisted by Varrick to do the songs for this mover.”

 _Of course_. Of course, Wu would be involved in this horribly named, flashy mover. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Mako spoke. “So I’ve gotta sit through two hours of romance and your singing? Didn’t I get enough of that at the zoo for _three years straight_?”

“Mako, I know you loved my singing, you’re not fooling me,” Wu drawled, looping his arm through Mako’s. “Now come on, the mover’s starting, we’ve gotta go in.”

Mako reluctantly let himself be pulled into the theatre by the over-excited man at his side, unsure of how to deal with the tingling sensation it sent up his arm. When they finally sat down, and Wu pulled his arm away, Mako felt the absence of his touch sharply. He was glad the darkness of the theatre hid his blush at that thought. 

He figured he was just lonely, craving human touch right now, with all the long hours he worked. But something at the back of his mind wanted to disagree. Seeing Wu again had brought attention to a lot of things, feelings, thoughts that Mako had repressed, things that Mako hadn’t thought meant anything. Like the way Wu grinned when he saw Mako, so different from the fake smile he’d given to the press. Or the way Wu smelled, or how he was so physically comfortable with Mako, from long hours spent together with only each other for real company in the doldrums of political meetings. Or the looks Wu would give him when they visited Little Ba Sing Se and he thought Mako wasn’t paying attention, or the way he would sing to badgermoles at the zoo with no shame. Mako had wanted to see him again so badly, he discovered with a jolt. He decided that it was because Wu was his best friend, and you can’t just go six months without seeing your best friend, or it feels like you can’t breathe and- 

“Yoohoo, Mako? Are you alive in there? The mover is starting.”

Wu was waving his hand in front of Mako’s face, giving him a concerned look. 

“I can see that,” Mako snapped, brushing away Wu’s hand.

“Oh-kay then,” Wu responded sarcastically, settling into his seat. “This is gonna be so good, Mako.”

His eyes were glazed to the screen as the projector lit up the room, music distantly playing. Mako could see the reflection of the screen in Wu’s green eyes, a small coil of chestnut hair falling onto his face. Mako couldn’t tear his eyes away from it. He wanted to push that curl of hair back so badly, and run a hand through Wu’s hair and- nope. Mako looked straight ahead. He was going to sit through this mover and try not to think about Wu. End of story. 

“ _Nuktuk wanders into the swamp where he meets our hero! A young firebender, hiding from Kuvira’s gangs of bender-equalists, it’s Mako!_ ”

Mako blanched at the audio, whipping his head over to Wu.

“Is that me?”

Wu didn’t even turn his head to respond. “Looks like it is, swamp-boy.”

“Did you know about this?”

“Mako, I did the music, I wasn’t _in_ the mover,” Wu responded, side-eyeing him. “Are you gonna talk for the whole thing?”

“You’re one to talk,” Mako muttered. “You never stop talking.”

“Shhh!” 

Settling back into his seat, Mako resigned himself to the fact that he had to watch this entire thing. About himself. Or rather fake-Mako. Varrick-Mako. Whatever it was. 

\---

Minutes before the end of the mover, Mako slipped out. _“To use the bathroom,”_ he’d told Wu, sweating nervously. 

The mover itself had been an absolute disaster. It had been your classic, run of the mill, peasant-falls-in-love-with-the-princess-and-saves-her-from-the-villain type thing. Except. _Except. Mako had been the peasant and they’d made Wu the Princess_. Mako stared into the bathroom mirror, gripping the edges of the porcelain sink. The mirror here was much nicer than the one at his apartment, likely backed with aluminum instead of silver. He could see every drop of sweat on his forehead, the hair that had long been undone by fingers nervously running through it, and the unbuttoned collar of his suit. It hadn’t been hot in the theatre, but Mako had gotten warm; his breaking point had been when fake-Mako and fake-Wu had kissed right before Mako had made his hasty exit. Mako had smelled his arm hairs burning, as his nerves caused his bending to short-circuit.

So he’d come here, to the bathroom, hoping to cool down. Splashing water in his face, he exhaled shakily. The worst part about the mover was that he hadn’t hated it. That kiss at the end made the warmth in his chest had crash over his entire body, made him want to push back Wu’s hair and cup his face in his hands and _kiss him_. 

Shaking, he pushed open the door and stepped into the lobby that was now full of attendees pushing to get out of the theatre. He saw Wu, made brief eye contact, and immediately hightailed the other direction, straight out the front doors. Right into the middle of a throng of journalists. 

“Mako, tell us, are you and Prince Wu together?”

“Detective Mako, when did you start dating Prince Wu?”

“Are you and Prince Wu planning on getting married?”

Mako wiped a sleeve across his forehead, looking for a way out, any way. “Listen, I can’t answer your questions-if you could jus- let me throug-”

But the journalists had formed a wall, and wouldn’t stop shouting his name, flashing their cameras and _breathing_ on him.

All at once, they started shouting at someone else. 

“Prince Wu, is Detective Mako your boyfriend?”

“For the last time people, I’m not a prince anymore. I’m a _performer_.” Wu’s voice, smooth as honey, sent a shiver down Mako’s spine. He was standing beside Mako, close enough to touch, easily slipping into his public persona for the crowd. “Now, one at a time please.”

“What did you think of the mover Pri- uh, Wu?”

“I thought it was incredible. Bolin’s acting just keeps getting better and better.” He ineffectively pushed back that coil of hair, smiling for the cameras. Mako felt his fingers itch.

“Wu, we want to know, are you and Mako an item?”

Wu looked up at Mako uneasily, and Mako hesitated, breath hitching. Mako looked away, unsure of the intensity he’d felt in Wu’s gaze, scared of what the surge of feelings into his throat meant.

“Well, there you have it, folks,” Wu declared. Mako detected a hint of bitterness in his voice. Maybe he was imagining it. “Mako and I are not dating.”

He turned to walk away, the smile on his face looking forced, a pang of wistfulness in his eyes. Mako couldn’t hold it back anymore. Acting purely on adrenaline and the pressure that was suddenly tumbling out of his chest and propelling him forward, he reached out, grabbed Wu’s wrist, pushed back that damned piece of hair and kissed him.

It felt like his chest had exploded. All that pressure, longing, vulnerability, surfaced in the gentle warmth of Wu’s lips on his. And Mako realized he’d been wanting to do this _desperately_.

As he started to pull away, to come up for air, he felt Wu’s hand come up to his face and pull him back, deepening the kiss with reciprocal hunger, and making Mako feel thousands of things at once. But most of all, he felt like he could breathe again.

It was the screaming of the crowd that finally snapped them out of it. As they disentangled themselves, Wu looked up at him, green eyes sparkling, and Mako couldn’t help himself. “I think I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he said, a little breathlessly.

Wu laughed at him, eyes crinkling, and Mako felt transcendent. “I’ve wanted to do that since the day I met you.”

“Well, I guess we have some questions to answer. For the press,” Mako replied, motioning to the reporters that really couldn’t be any closer.

Wu chuckled. “I suppose that we do, Mako.”

**Author's Note:**

> So this is based on these two posts: [ 1 ](https://aspeninke.tumblr.com/post/629908065440956416/wuko-shrek-au) | [ 2 ](https://aspeninke.tumblr.com/post/630063992278335488/nuktuk-a-royal-love-story).  
> I hope you enjoyed it! If you're interested, my tumblr is @aspeninke :))


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